On our national poll this week we took the opportunity to poll 20 widespread and/or infamous conspiracy theories. Many of these theories are well known to the public, others perhaps to just the darker corners of the internet. (Previously)
posted by Stewriffic on Apr 2, 2013 - 192 comments

Don't continue fooling yourself. The earth is growing and expanding rapidly. Despite plate tectonics' popular acceptance in the 60s, Samuel Warren Carey, the father of modern expansion tectonics, was publicly promoting his theories of an expanded earth as late as 1981. One of the theory's most prominent modern spokesmen is comics artist Neal Adams, who has created a number of informative videos about a new model of the universe that even manages to explain why the dinosaurs died out. [more inside]
posted by Lorc on Aug 7, 2010 - 77 comments

Lady Gaga: Illuminati mind control puppet
posted by Artw on Aug 16, 2009 - 134 comments

Before 9/11, the center of the conspiracy theorist's universe was the Kennedy Assassination. And probably the definitive statement on the ridiculousness of the conspiracy theories of that era was the Illuminatus! Trilogy[warning, the entire several hundred page novel in PDF], published in 1975 and written by two Playboy editors at the height of the era of flower power. It drew on many sources, but most distinctively, it drew from a little public domain pamphlet called The Principia Discordia. Many people know the catch phrases (Fnord! Hail Eris!), but not many people know the authors' very real connections to the Kennedy Assassination. [more inside]
posted by empath on Jun 29, 2009 - 76 comments

Matt Taibbi vs. David Ray Griffin Taibbi, to whose writing Metafilter frequently links, and who is currently on retainer at Rolling Stone, takes on Griffin, who is perhaps the most prominent member of the so-called "9/11 Truth Movement," in a knock-down, drag-out multiple-round bout (in three parts). Part II. Part III.
posted by Hat Maui on Oct 6, 2008 - 99 comments

"Alienshifter is the one who takes the Oath in order to uphold and defend Humanity and their Rights in any contact with Alien or Extraterrestrial beings in addition to represent the Earth in contact and communication with Star Visitors from all other Planets or in the Council of the Worlds and Federation of Planets." Alienshift is an eclectic conspiracy site, exploring such subjects as islamic ufology, the pole shift of 2012, Edgar Cayce, sufism, Akhenaton as well as the more expected fare, UFO videos, Nostradamus and the bible code. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Lots and lots of youtube videos grace the site of this New Hope for Humanity.
posted by Kattullus on Aug 5, 2007 - 14 comments

Electrical lighting conspiracy theories can be paranoid, downright bizarre, or actually pretty reasonable.
posted by nthdegx on Aug 5, 2005 - 27 comments

Blaming Everyone But the Terrorists | Portland journalist Michael Totten vents on the Portland Indymedia crew who blamed Bush for attacks on London. On Friday, Kos banned a handful of his more conspiracy-minded followers for the same reasons: "I have a high tolerance level for material I deem appropriate for this site, but one thing I REFUSE to allow is bullshit conspiracy theories. I can't imagine what fucking world these people live in, but it sure ain't the Reality Based Community." This Seattle Times article indicates even some young British Muslims agree: "Obviously the media is saying that Muslims did it, but I think it was a conspiracy by Tony Blair and George Bush," said Olle Rahaman, 32, a husband and father who, like the other men, was born in London of Bangladeshi parents. "An excuse to say, 'Let's go kick some ass.' " William Bowles of GlobalResearch.ca talks about the use of agent provocateurs and the 'suspicious nature' of the bombings.
posted by jenleigh on Jul 10, 2005 - 121 comments

Bush's suit bulge revisited: Originally it was thought to be a hidden radio prompter (that Bush laughed off in an interview). Others speculated it was a bullet proof vest, and maybe troutfishing almost got it right. So now, the latest theory is a portable defibrillator.
Is the president as healthy as they'd want us to believe?
(more inside)
via cryptome
posted by forforf on Dec 27, 2004 - 39 comments

The Road to Tyranny (Realvideo). A sensational and informative film by Alex Jones. Ignore the presentation, or, consider it entertainment if you wish, but there's some pretty good content in there including some surprising news footage from the aftermath of the OKC bombing 19 minutes in.
posted by euphorb on Jul 13, 2004 - 18 comments

"At some time in the past, according to both [redacted] and [redacted] the President suffered what one of his aides called "a very minor seizure" and as a result of this, the President has a very difficult time following any unscripted conversations."

Note: this link comes from a rather conspiratorial website [another source], but claims to be a report from a reporter with White House access. [/caveat] Via Easybakecoven.
posted by moonbird on Apr 28, 2004 - 28 comments

Saddam's spiderhole photo was taken in August, or what? The fruit on the date palm behind the soldier is yellow. Date fruit grows from March-August (see 'Iraq' in table 23) and is harvested in early fall. Dates are yellow (ie. just ripened) in August, not December. I'm not invoking conspiracy - I'm just asking: what gives?
posted by mediaddict on Dec 21, 2003 - 87 comments

I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I don't even play one on TV. But every once in a while, I run across the website of one of these individuals that, in its own way, at least appears to make sense. Using photos from the US Army, the DOD and the US Marine Corps., this English translation of a French site asks, "Can you find the Boeing 757 that 'crashed' into the Pentagon on 9/11/01?" [Linked page scrolls to the right, not down as one might expect...]
posted by JollyWanker on Oct 27, 2003 - 28 comments

NASA Challenges Moon Hoax Conspiracy After decades of almost ignoring claims that the Apollo missions were hoaxed, NASA commissioned aerospace writer James Olberg to write an official rebuttle. Perhaps a bit more reasonable than the NASA Stooge, the book is aimed at the general public.
posted by KirkJobSluder on Nov 7, 2002 - 33 comments

The Political Graveyard -- It all started innocently enough.....I was reading a piece by a professor of media and journalism studies who wondered: Was Paul Wellstone murdered?" and cited an unusual number of democrats who had died in plane crashes. Was it true, I wondered? -- My search led me to The Political Graveyard, with it's endless categorizations of the details in the deaths of US politicians. Deaths by religious affiliation, politicians killed by poison or gunfights, opium overdoses or car crashes. But was it true? Yes, the site seemed to confirm the deaths (for the last 3 decades or so) of a statistically anomalous number of national democratic politicians (sitting or running for office) in plane crashes....but the site just grabbed me and wouldn't let me leave: Charles Tillinghast James (1805-1862): died while making his own cannon, Richard Ellis (1781-1846): died when his clothes suddenly caught fire, Thomas Caute Reynolds (1821-1887): killed himself by leaping down an elevator shaft, Sidney Theodore Roebuck (1901-1982): died from RAT poison, and MY FAVORITE, Elmer Severson (1922-1999), who died from spinal cord injuries he lost a "tussle with a cow"
posted by troutfishing on Nov 1, 2002 - 21 comments

Mystery Illness such a mystery? Help needed! (old news, new information?) OK, I'm going to try and do this without naming names... The British troops in Afghanistan have been struck down by a mystery illness recently, with an investigation finding that the illness was just a "winter vomiting" bug.
I've heard different. The source may have been an Al Qaeda terrorist who had been captured. The 'mystery illness' may have been caught when the British or US government used biological warfare to make it easier to find and capture members of Al Qaeda. Can anyone help verify this? I should stress I only have word of mouth from a friend of a friend. All very speculative, but I've not been able to find anything else on this... yet...
posted by snowgoon on May 21, 2002 - 13 comments

I expect crackpot theories about Sept. 11 from the French and the Middle East. But when a U.S. House Representative starts peddling one, that's depressing. (Note the smug, carefully worded "I don't have any evidence but an investigation might find some" call for a fishing expedition.) I value healthy skepticism, but this sounds to me more like grandstanding for attention.
posted by pmurray63 on Apr 12, 2002 - 30 comments

A Refreshing Change of Pace for everyone with an opinion about Isreal/Palestine. The Middle East Conflict - Has it Been Engineered by Extremist Rightwing Christians and Zionists Hoping to "Force" the "Rapture"? Sounds crazy, looks crazy...but the suggestions are not made on the basis of paranoia alone, unfortunately. The fact that the Americans involved are very religious (and Isreal being the location of a few scheduled divine appearances) is an obviously important but consistantly avoided side of this pile of conflict. So how crazy is this article? Isn't it just a bit naïve to think this is just a big property argument with some jewish/muslim tension thrown in? Hey, as long as we can't decide whether Arafat or Sharon is worse than the other, we may as well discuss something else in the meantime...or discuss something totally unrelated in this thread, for a refreshing change of pace. (From the reputable, extensive and fascinating news website, unknownnews.net)
posted by Settle on Apr 4, 2002 - 52 comments

Was the fix in on 9/11? My guess is if the accusations the author makes are true we'll never know, but if just one of them is true...
posted by tankboy on Feb 13, 2002 - 53 comments

Carlyle's way: the Red Herring digs into the X-Files-esque Carlyle Group, that connects the Bushes, bin Ladens, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and on and on. How serious is the conflict of interest? And does this investigation by a business magazine make the conspiracy nuts seem any less nutty?
posted by D on Jan 15, 2002 - 6 comments

Oliver Stone has Bin Laden conspiracy theory. When asked what source of information could be trusted, Stone reportedly replied: "Believe my stuff."
posted by stevengarrity on Jan 14, 2002 - 35 comments

Who killed John O'Neill? If the lads on the Right have their Vince Foster "mystery" death, the folks on the Left now have their John O'Neill "story."
posted by Postroad on Jan 9, 2002 - 18 comments

Is the Bush Administration complicit in hiding the source of the anthrax? An interesting theory with intriguing, albeit rather weak, evidence is presented. What do you guys think?
posted by donkeymon on Dec 21, 2001 - 15 comments

What really happened in the week before the attacks in reguards to a Pakistani Inteligence visit with CIA officials.
posted by bas67 on Nov 7, 2001 - 29 comments

Fact or Fiction? You decide. But before you discount it as ranting conspiracy theory, read it all and really think about it. Then consider the new executive order issued today by the White House.
posted by bas67 on Nov 2, 2001 - 49 comments

One for the conspiracy theorists? On 7th of September, Governor Jeb Bush signed Executive Order 01-261, revising his powers to call up the Florida National Guard "in the event of civil disturbances or natural disasters", citing as one of its concerns "the potential massive damage to life and property that may result from an act of terrorism at a Florida port". Four days later, after the WTC attacks, his very next Executive Order declared a State of Emergency and activated the National Guard under those revised powers. (It's still in place.) Now, we all know that the President was in the coastal city of Sarasota, Florida on the morning of the 11th, and we also know that Disney World closed its doors as a precaution after the attacks... so, coincidence? (Picked up from media-squatters.)
posted by holgate on Oct 2, 2001 - 19 comments

Did the Hell's Angels do it? It could have been the landlord. Or is it just hoax? We could take the advice of a professional astrologer or a psychic or maybe the answer lies encoded in the Bible? Or is it just a Republican plot to discredit a Democrat and bolster Bush's "dismal approval rating" (which is currently only 12 points higher than Clinton's was at the same point in his presidency.) No! The Democrats framed him because of his conservative views! What about the Mossad? Maybe you can locate her body in this aerial photograph.

There are just HOURS of fun to be had over at ChandraLevy.com - a very unofficial clearinghouse for information on the ongoing investigation into her disappearance which bears little resemblance to the staid demeanor of findchandra.org.

My favorite? Where is Ted Kennedy's car right now anyway? Just in case. You check the Potomac, I'll look in the tidal basin...
posted by RevGreg on Jul 13, 2001 - 70 comments

As conspiracy rumors go, this is a doozy: World Oil Magazine is hearing from its Mid East sources that the Arab states are so angry with Gore's choice of a Jewish running mate that they're going to cut back production in the hopes of swinging the election to Bush. I'm sure the Gore team gave plenty of thought as to how Lieberman would play in Peoria, but I wonder if they considered how much he would antagonize Damascus?
posted by nikzhowz on Sep 28, 2000 - 0 comments